Say It With Flowers
by smile-lifegoeson
Summary: AU. It's Valentine's Day and flower shop owner Lucy is feeling the blues. Mainly because her crush keeps buying odd numbers of roses- and she has no idea who they are for.


OK, So... this was supposed to be posted for VALENTINE'S DAY. Am I a little late? I'd say so.. hahah. Oh well! I finally finished it! And I felt like a good fluff is what this fandom needs right now :)

It's very cheesy and very fast and very just... a good dose of NALU. Hope you like it.

 _Fairy Tail_ and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima.

* * *

"Thank you for shopping with us! And Happy Valentine's Day!"

Lucy waved at the man leaving her shop, dropping her hand and her smile once he was gone, "Ugh, can this day be over already?"

Lucy Heartfilia co-owned a flower shop with her best friend, Levy McGarden. And today was their busiest day. And since Levy had big plans with her boyfriend, Gajeel, Lucy had to cover the whole day herself.

"Not that it matters," Lucy grumbled to herself, arranging a new set of roses, "I don't have anyone to spend the day with anyway, might as well get in some overtime."

The door opening startled Lucy, simply because of the whirlwind coming after it.

"WHAT?! That's such a lie!"

"I heard it from Mira, so it's no lie."

Lucy looked over her shoulder at the two standing in the shops doorway. Gray Fullbuster and Natsu Dragneel, the two loveable idiots she had known her whole life.

"Hey guys," Lucy yelled over their arguing, "what are you doing here?"

"I need some flowers for Juvia," Gray put his hand over Natsu's mouth to make him stop talking, "got any Lilies?"

"Yeah!" Lucy skipped over to a counter, wiping her hands on her apron, "I've got all these, we have some fresh ones in the back I'll get for you."

"Thanks, Lucy," Gray zoned out once he started looking at the colored petals.

"LUCY!" Natsu whirled the blonde around to look at him, their chests bumped against one another's, causing Lucy to blush, "Tell Gray he's wrong!"

"About what?" Lucy lightly pushed the man away from her, she was already single on this romantic day, no need to flaunt her 'secret' crush in front of her.

"He thinks he looks better than me!"

Blinking, already done with this topic, Lucy sighed. Why did she fall in love with an idiot?

"I do look better than you. I told you even Mira said so," Gray said, not even bothering to turn around.

"I was asking LUCY!" Natsu roared, "You think I look better, dontcha Lucy?!"

"Um," scratching her cheek, Lucy said, "you guys both look good-"

"Look!" Natsu lifted his shirt to show off his impressively toned torso.

"N-Natsu!" Lucy covered her eyes, desperately avoiding her desire to look. It was absolutely the last thing she needed was for Natsu to know just how attracted she was to him.

"What are you hiding for? You've seen me shirtless before…" If Lucy didn't know better she would have thought Natsu sounded sad.

"Put your shirt down, pyro," Gray glared at his frenemy, "can I get a dozen of the dark blue and light blue, maybe mix them up?"

"Sure!" Lucy jumped at the chance to leave the room, "be right back!"

"Wait! Lucy!" She heard Natsu yell once she was behind the curtain in the back room.

Placing a hand over her heart, Lucy willed it to stop pounding.

"He's your friend… just your friend…" she kept muttering to herself as she made the most beautiful bouquet of her career for Juvia. The woman deserved it after all.

"Wow. Thanks, Lucy!" Gray said when she finally came back out, "those look great."

"You're welcome," Lucy made sure to give him Levy's exclusive 'friends-only' discount, "I'm sure I'll know if she likes it."

"You might hear tonight with how lucky I'm going to get," Gray grinned devilishly.

"No one wants to hear about that," Natsu had his arms crossed, his face buried into his scaly scarf.

"Jealous?" Gray smirked, handing Lucy his card to pay.

"No," Natsu lowered his face even farther in his scarf before walking deeper into the isles of flowers.

"Sorry about him," Gray began, but then snickered, "but hey, he is your best friend."

"Yeah, yeah," Lucy handed the gorgeous bouquet to her honorary big brother, "go easy on him, would you?"

"I never agreed to that," Gray groaned, moving before Lucy could smack him, "Happy Valentine's Day, Lucy."

"You too, Gray," she fixed a few arrangements around the door after he left, only then realizing, "Natsu? Are you still here?"

"Yeah!" she heard him near the back of the store, "Can you come here?"

"Please no mess, please no mess," she pleaded as she slowly made her way to Natsu.

"I didn't make a mess," Natsu growled playfully, "I just wanna buy something!"

"Oh," Lucy tripped over her own feet, Natsu was standing in front of the counter. He was in ripped work jeans and a red and black coat, his ever-present scarf covered most of his face.

"And what can I get you?" Lucy smiled, trying not to show how awful it felt to sell flowers to her crush on Valentine's day.

"Two red roses."

Blink, "Two roses?"

"Yeah," he grinned his famous grin, "just two."

" _And he calls me weird..._ " she did as he asked though, "You said Red?"

"Yepp!" he was bouncing on the balls of his feet like a little kid.

"Alright," she made the two flowers look pretty, not as nice as Gray's, but still pretty.

"Keep the change!" He said as he laid a $20 on the counter, "See ya, Lucy!"

He grabbed the roses and bolted out the door before Lucy could reply.

"Bye," she sighed as she cashed out the transaction, putting the change in a special slot in the register, "wonder who he's giving it to…"

* * *

A few hours passed, Lucy felt exhausted and ready for a long bubble bath by the time she closed up to get some lunch. She had just pulled off her apron when the door swung open, " _Crap! I forgot to lock it!"_

"Sorry, we're closed for the next hour," she called out, praying it wasn't a rude customer.

"Then you should lock the door next time!" Lucy sighed in relief when she heard Natsu's voice.

"Natsu, what are you doing here?" Lucy groaned, she wanted to eat!

"You gonna yell at me when I was nice enough to get you food?!" Natsu laughed when he was in Lucy's view, holding up a bag of Chinese takeout.

"What would I do without you?" Lucy smiled, running behind her friend to lock the door.

"Starve," he snorted, "which wouldn't too bad since you're already heavy enough- YOW!"

"Hmph," she honestly didn't care that she punched him in the stomach, he deserved that.

"I was kidding!"

"Sure," she took the bag and headed to the back of the store where her break area was.

"I'm serious! You know how many times I've carried you and not complained?!" he followed right behind her, as if her punch really did no damage at all.

"Yeah, yeah," she knew he was joking, but who wants their weigh joked about by anyone? Especially the person you like? "Eggroll?"

He snatched it out of her hand and joined her at the little table she and Levy had set up in the small break area.

"So are you working today or what?" Lucy asked around a mouthful of rice.

"Nope, got the day off," Natsu was a fitness coach for kids at the local gym that his mother owned. 'Fitness coach' is what he called it, but Lucy had come in tons of times and caught him teaching a dance class.

"Yeah? You're parents doing anything special?"

"Nah, they're on babysitting duty for Larcade and August. Zeref and Mavis are going away for the whole weekend," Natsu puffed out his chest, "I'm going over there tomorrow to teach Cade how to properly prank Zeref."

Lucy lowered her chopsticks, "Properly?"

"He tries to do all the kiddy stuff, which is fine, since he's only 7," Natsu slurped his noodles, Lucy crinkled her nose at the sound, "but that don't work on Zeref. I'm gonna teach him how to _really_ get under his skin."

"What about August?" Lucy smiled as they talked, Natsu was obsessed with his nephews. The twins had won everyone's hearts the moment they were born, and Natsu had become so smitten it was hard to remember what he was like before they were born.

"He's not into pranks. He's more like Zeref, likes to read and stuff," Natsu licked his lips to get the last bits of soup off, "Cade is more like Mavis, and me sorta. He likes to have fun."

"Are you saying that reading isn't fun?" Lucy couldn't help but act offended. She had asked him to read tons of stuff and he never complained!

"NO!" he knocked a pile of magazines in the floor with the force of his hand hitting the table, "No… no that's what I meant. He just… doesn't like to do pranks like me and Cade."

"I was kidding," she knelt down to pick up his mess, "and I'm glad you get to see them. Tell them hi for me."

He grinned, "Sure."

"But right now, I need to get back to work."

"Huh?! It has not been an hour!"

"I know that, but I have some things to do that I can't do while I have to be on the floor," she gestured to some flowers that needed trimming, "you can stay with me if you want to."

"Oh… sure," he had an odd look on his face as he cleaned up their lunch, actually cleaned the whole break area.

"You OK?" she was focused on her task, but it was rare that Natsu was quiet.

"Yeah, just thinking."

"Don't hurt yourself," she giggled. Ignoring his spouts of anger to put some roses in water.

"Can I have some of those?"

"Huh?" He was now standing beside her, pointing at the white flowers.

"The roses, can I have a few more?"

She was still curious who he gave the first ones too, "Um. Sure, you want these or-"

"I need six of the red ones."

"Six?" Lucy was beyond confused, why such odd numbers?

"I don't know how much they are, can you take it out of my change from earlier?" he was digging for his wallet, stopping when Lucy shook her head.

"Yeah, I'll do that. You want me to wrap them for you?" She was wiping her hands on her apron when he hugged her from behind, "Uh, huh?"

"Nah, I'll get them myself. I gotta go," he walked backwards to the front, "I'll see ya later, and I'll lock the door for you!"

"What in the world," Lucy shook her head. Writing a note for herself to take the money out for the six roses. So far he had purchased 8, was he trying to get a deal by buying only a few at a time. And if so… who for?

"He could be getting them for his mom," she muttered, cutting a little too much off the stems in her slight anger.

"It's not like I want flowers to begin with," she kept talking to herself as she worked, "but It still doesn't feel good to sell flowers and no one even think of you."

She was babbling. But honestly, she had never had a boyfriend on Valentine's Day before. Never been given candy, flowers, or a teddy bear holding a heart from a guy who liked her. Of course, it wasn't like she dated much to begin with.

"Sucks falling in love with your best friend…" she sighed, turning the 'Closed for lunch' sign back to 'Open'.

* * *

A few more hours passed and the time for wining and dining was upon her. More people flooded her shop, she was impressed that she was able to work so quickly and efficiently by herself while it was so busy. Levy owed her big time though, she was going to work Mother's Day weekend by herself. See how it feels.

"Thank you," Lucy waved goodbye to a young man who just bought flowers for his soon-to-be fiancée. A wistful tug sprung to her heart, and she had to swallow it down. She was only 24, no need to hear the non-existent wedding bells yet.

"'Scuse me? Can I get four red roses?"

She smiled and turned around, only to narrow her eyes, "Natsu? You're back again?"

"Yeah," he sheepishly rubbed the back of this neck.

"And why exactly do you need four more roses?" she crossed her arms, moving her eyes around the shop to watch the customers roaming about.

"It's a secret. And I'm kinda in a hurry," he bounced on his heels, looking around the shop too and avoiding her eyes.

Lucy felt her heart drop, "Yeah… Ok."

Natsu gulped hard as he watched her dejectedly walk to the back for a moment. He had to keep himself from spilling his guts now. He had a plan dammit, and he needed to stick to it.

"Here ya go," she handed him four more red roses, elegantly wrapped. A far away smile on her face, "I think I have enough change to cover them."

"Thanks," he bit his lip, holding the delicate flowers up to his nose to smell them. He didn't smell anything, he never could. It always confused him when people said flowers smelt the best, to him they didn't really have a fragrance.

"Miss? How much are these?"

"Oh, well I need to get to work. See you later, Natsu," she was happy to have a distraction as she added, "hope the one you're giving these too likes them."

The pink-haired 25-year-old prayed that she would. And that she would like who was giving them to her.

After standing in one spot to send up his prayer, he rushed out of the shop. He had a few more things to do!

* * *

6 o'clock rolled around, then 7, and then finally 8. Lucy was able to close her doors and pat herself on the back for a job well done.

Another day of love gone, and Lucy was extremely happy that Levy agreed to letting her only work half a day tomorrow.

She made sure the shop was in good condition, got her bag ready to deposit at the bank, collected her things and grabbed her keys to lock up for the night.

She was so tired, she didn't even realize someone was sitting on the bench next to the large window of her shop. The hair alone should have stood out, being pink and all.

"Hey Lucy," Natsu rushed out, puffs of air falling from his lips in the brisk February night.

"Huh?" her chocolate eyes found his onyx ones, "What… what are you doing here?"

"Um," he again scratched the back of his neck. That was when she noticed the change in his attire; jeans were replaced with nice black slacks. He was now wearing a silky blue button up top, a fancy coat buttoned up so she could only see a tiny bit of it. His scarf was still wrapped around his neck, but he definitely cleaned up more than she had ever seen before.

She felt very underdressed in her soil covered jeans and t-shirt.

"Well, today is Valentine's Day. The day to celebrate the ones you love," his voice was now full of confidence, "and I want to spend it with you."

From his back, he pulled the full bouquet of roses. The 12 roses she had bought throughout the day were now wrapped in pretty pink and white ribbons, a little card was hanging from one non-thorny stem.

Still in a bit of shock, Lucy took the offering of roses and opened the little card:

 _Roses are red (duh)_

 _Violets are blue (double duh)_

 _We've been friends forever, but forever no more_

 _And just like the moon falls for the sun every night_

 _I would die every day just to see you shine_

 _Will you be my Valentine?_

It was horribly written, his handwriting not improving since the 7th grade. And she didn't really care for his 'duh' statements. But… the rest of it…

A lump formed in her throat, she looked up at his goofy grin and smiled, "Natsu…"

He reached up and moved her bangs out of her eyes, "I… like you, Lucy. Have… since I don't know when. I think you like me too…"

She could see the nerves eat away at him. The way his hands shook and his eyes dart all over the place, his foot tapping to a silent beat.

"You're aren't wrong," she whispered.

His onyx eyes widened and she couldn't help but giggle when his smile grew bigger than his face.

"I have a reservation at 9:30. I'll take you home first so you can change," he grabbed her hand and started to drag her the way to her apartment.

"Where on earth do you plan on eating so late? Every place is probably booked!"

They were walking hand in hand, shoulders bumping into one another. Lucy swore this was a dream.

"This great little place called 'Casa de la Dragneel'," he smirked, "the cook is amazing, by the way."

She raised her eyebrow, "Cooking for me? What else do you have planned?"

"Don't wanna spoil the surprise! It's our first date, gotta make it perfect," they were stopped by the traffic. It took Lucy a moment to register what he said. She faced him with questions in her eyes.

"First date?"

Natsu faltered for a moment, stuttering over his words, "Well ye-yeah! I like you… a whole lot… and you said you lik-liked me too. I've been too scared to ask you out for a normal date… thought this would… well uh…"

Lucy squeezed his hand and went up on her tiptoes to kiss his scarred cheek, "Then I can't wait."

Natsu caught her chin and nuzzled his nose by her ear, "You… really like me? You're not just playing along?"

"Of course not," she blushed, looking down at her snow-covered boots, "It's been killing me all day, wondering who you were giving these too," she held up the bouquet.

"Well… I can't take the full credit for it. Gray told me you may think I was giving them to someone else," he said after they ran across the street and headed toward Strawberry Lane, "But Mira told me you'd like it… I hope it worked."

It was cute that he still doubted even after she agreed and told him that she liked him too, but she needed to nip that in the bud, "Natsu."

She pulled him to a stop, turning him around so she could look into his beautifully dark eyes.

"I like you. I have… for a very long time. Nothing would make me happier than being your Valentine," she felt her cheeks burn, but she kept going, "I would never play with your feelings. And even though I know you are the resident prankster of our group, I know you would never do that either. I can't wait to see what else you have planned for tonight."

She ended her little speech with a bashful smile. Natsu grinned at her, and it always made her feel better when he did.

"I couldn't tell you when I fell for ya, Lucy," he brought her a little closer to his chest, "maybe in Kindergarten when you told me you liked my hair and told the whole class off when they made fun of me for it, "I couldn't hurt ya even if I wanted to. And the dinner is probably the highlight of the night. Maybe Netflix and chill after," he blinked, then flushed, "but I mean ACTUALLY chilling out… not what it really means. Even though that'd be great too! But it's our first date and that'd be so… ugh."

He hung his head, digging his nose into her shoulder to hide from the idiocy that just came out of his mouth. Lucy laughed, "That sounds perfect Natsu."

His face was still red when he came back into view, "Really?"

"Yes, really," she bopped his nose, "now let me go shower. If I get to eat Chef Dragneel's cooking I want to look my best."

"Yosh," he quietly cheered. The snow falling around them was putting a halo-like effect onto her golden hair, putting him more into a romantic mood. And being the brave soul that he was, he leaned down and kissed her rose colored lips.

Lucy's heart skipped a beat when he pulled back, she could still feel the light press of his lips on hers. Never had she had such a gentle kiss, and it came from Natsu…

"Come on then," he laughed, shaking snow from his own hair, "let's go."

Lucy wrapped her hands around his arm, "Yeah."

Love could be complicated, but it wasn't always. You don't have to know every detail right at the start. It's not textbook, and things don't always have to go in a certain order or make sense. That's what made it special, made it unique. That's what made it _love._

* * *

I like it, hope you did too! More NALU is on the way!

But in case you haven't seen it, my GRUVIA multi-chap fic has been posted and is now up to 3 chapters! It's posted every Sunday, so if you'd like, please go check out _Ice Ice Baby!_

See ya, loves. XOXO-Smile


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